CCBST 2017: Lessons Learned from Lab Testing Failures

Curtain walls and window walls are typically specified to meet a variety of different performance and testing criteria, some of which can be quite stringent.

Such requirements are defined in specific codes and industry standards, including, but not limited to new 2015 requirements of the National Building Code of Canada, the International Building Code, AAMA 501 - Methods of Test for Exterior Walls, and ASTM E2099 – Standard Practice for the Specification and Evaluation of Pre-Construction Laboratory Mockups of Exterior Wall Systems.

Full scale laboratory mock-up testing of glazing systems can provide a valuable demonstration of a systems’ ability to perform to these specified requirements.

This white paper extended abstract assesses the importance of lab testing as part of a quality assurance program. It presents a variety of different failures that have occurred during laboratory mock-up testing, which revealed deficiencies in the design, assembly, or installation of the glazing systems.

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